2 people injured in wrong-way crash in Lubbock are from Kress

Two of the people involved in a wrong-way crash in Lubbock last week have ties to Kress. 

The multi-vehicle crash, reported along Interstate 27 in Lubbock on July 23, resulted in the death of three people and left four others injured, according to a Facebook post shared by the Lubbock Police Department. The department was notified of a wrong-way driver near 19th and I-27 around 7:23 p.m. Two minutes later, as officers made their way toward the driver, they were notified of a collision involving the driver at the 6600 block of I-27. 

Three vehicles were involved in the crash, according to the police department. When they arrived at the scene, two of the vehicles were engulfed in flames and an officer worked to remove a 3-year-old from one of the vehicles. That officer also suffered minor injuries. The child was transported with serious injuries to University Medical Center. 

A 2-year-old who was also in one of the vehicles engulfed in flames was pronounced dead at the scene, according to LPD. 

Through the investigation, it was discovered that a vehicle driven by 29-year-old Oscar Hernandez Sotelo Jr. was traveling south in northbound lanes when it crashed with another vehicle driven by 24-year-old Jairon Foster, who was traveling north. Sotelo was traveling with two children in the back seat. Foster was transported to UMC with serious injuries and a passenger traveling with him, 60-year-old Lakecha Collins, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the information shared by LPD. 

After that collision, Sotelo continued driving south and struck a pickup head-on. Both vehicles caught fire. The occupants of the truck were 28-year-old Alexis Wallace, who was driving, and 19-year-old Aaliyah Wallace. They were both transported to Covenant Medical Center with serious injuries. 

Sotelo was pronounced dead at the scene. 

The investigation remains under investigation but according to the Facebook post, initial information indicates alcohol and speed may have been factors in the crashes. 

Alexis Wallace is noted to be a veteran of the United States Air Force and Aaliyah Wallace is a Texas Tech student. According to the GoFundMe account, Aalexis broke her neck and shattered bones in her feet. Aaliyah has broken ribs and also shattered bones in her foot. It will be a long road to recovery for both of them.